


Boys Will Be Boys

by princessmera



Category: 13 Reasons Why (TV)
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Post Season 3, References to Drugs, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23522092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessmera/pseuds/princessmera
Summary: “You know what is stupid, though?” She asked, and he waited for the answer. “That some ugly, gross boy was the last person to touch my ass, and not my boyfriend.” – Or, Justin and Jessica go to their first party as of becoming an offical couple again, and chaos ensures.
Relationships: Jessica Davis/Justin Foley
Comments: 3
Kudos: 30





	Boys Will Be Boys

**Author's Note:**

> hi everybody. hope you're staying safe!! this is the first fic i ever wrote for these two (well i started it in september last year and i have finally finished it) so I thought I would share since we're all at home, isolating and we're all a little scared of what is to come... whether that is in the world or season four of the show.... but y'know, we're fucked. 
> 
> anyway. disclaimer: not my characters. but please enjoy the story. set after 3x13, and justin's clean bc i just decided that cause i care too much about his wellbeing unlike the writers. my usual fluff with angst and drama, and humour. and as always, there is some social justice in there :)

“It’s my first big party since… since, you know,” Jessica admitted, she looked at her boyfriend sitting beside her in the back seat. Their fingers were intertwined and he was holding her knuckles to his lips, gently kissing them which made her smile.

“You’re not gonna get, like, super drunk, are you?” Clay asked warily, his eyes darting between their reflections in the rear view mirror. They both shook their heads at him. Justin looked up.

“No, no, no way. Not tonight, man, not yet,” he answered, “we’ll be okay.” He shared a glance with Jessica.

“Yeah, I have to study tomorrow,” she agreed, “we might even leave early, go get something to eat somewhere, I don’t know.” Pulling up out the front, clearly a few hours late to the party, Clay turned and gave them one last look in the backseat of his car.

“Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t get hurt. Please don’t wander the streets drunk. And dear God, text me to pick you up, don’t walk home drunk. Understood?” They both stared at him like he was insane.

“Yeah, dad, we will,” Justin joked, glancing at Jessica to see her laugh along. She was smiling as her hands slipped free of his and urged him to open the door. Clay sighed as they mocked him, relaxing into his seat, and waiting for them to get out.

“Justin, go, get out,” Jessica nudged her boyfriend to the open door, “thanks Clay.” The two of them clambered out of the car like drunks, one after the other and stood out on the curb watching as their chauffeur drove away.

“I can’t believe he’s not coming,” Jessica said with a frown, “you’d think he could blow off one paper, right?” Justin shook his head.

“No, he’s Clay, he was never gonna come.” She grabbed his hand and began pulling him toward the house ahead. The path was lit with garden lights, and the large white house ahead was surrounded by a perfectly trimmed garden hedge. There were people standing outside in the cold, hugging jackets to themselves as they stood around the small fire. Others were doing keg stands on the grass, sitting in circles in chairs and couples cuddling on the wet grass. It was a party for sure, and some of it Jessica had missed. But, now, all she really wanted was to hang around her boyfriend. Since this was a party for the popular people, and neither of them were in that category anymore.

Jessica glanced behind her, “I’m surprised you even wanted to come,” she said. “I didn’t think you were ready.” As he followed her up the stairs and into the house, their hands connecting them, he watched her from the corner of his eye.

“I’m ready,” he assured her. “Just don’t go too crazy on the vodka or whatever.”

Over her shoulder, she smirked at him. “You shouldn’t even be drinking,” she warned him. “You heard what those doctors said. Your head is fucked, and it’s looking for a new addictive outlet.”

He scoffed, “I’m not gonna become an alcoholic, Jess…Well, not yet.” She gave him a critical look and he laughed. “Not ever. I promise.” As they walked through the main corridor, both could tell the party had reached its high. Boys were challenging each other to scull whole beer bottles, girls were laughing hysterically at the blandest jokes while couples were practically dry humping in front of the whole party. As the two of them stepped one by one over a randomly strewn matching bra and panties, they both tried not to laugh.

“How classy,” Jessica muttered, and Justin laughed.

“Yeah, I don’t think we’ll stay too long.” They made it into the main room where footballers were sprawled out over the couches, girls squeezed in beside them and flirting to their hearts content. The kitchen was a mess of spilled alcohol, with the smell of marijuana floating throughout. “Drink?” He asked, and she shrugged.

“Whatever will get me through this.” She stared out at the party. “Beer pong table is free, wanna play?” Glancing between him and the table, she waited for his nod. Jess wandered over, side stepping drunk boys, and smiling at the cheerleaders she had known closely in the past. It was crazy. At parties, no matter how much people hated you, they plastered on a smile to look polite. That was Jessica’s fear of coming here. Half the school feared her and half the school loved her. And that half that loved her weren’t the kind of people who went to parties like this. The people here were footballers and cheerleaders, and then there was Jessica. An ex cheerleader, a girl who everybody knew was raped at her own party, and allowed by her boyfriend, a footballer. Her life was pretty messy. And there was only one person to blame for that.

Jessica picked up a bat and stood on one end of the table waiting for Justin. He stopped twice as he came over. Once to add more vodka to an already half vodka filled soda, then twice to ask Zach if he wanted to play with them. Zach, far from sober at this point, hobbled over without hesitation and gave Jessica’s arm a drunken fist bump.

“I’ll be judge,” he proposed, setting his red cup of beer down on the middle of the table. Jessica rolled her eyes and moved it to the side, her boyfriend laughing as he walked past her.

“You’re pretty unstable on your feet with all those raspberry coolers.” Zach just shrugged it off.

“At least it’s not strawberry. I can still win all the girls tonight.” Jessica looked over at her boyfriend on the other side of the table, smiling, he shook his head. She bit her lip to force down the smile that came to her face.

“C’mon babe, let’s play,” she swung the bat around with a flick of her wrist, “loser has to buy dinner.” He took a short sip of vodka from his red cup and smiled.

“Better get your credit card ready, Jess, it’s gonna be a long night for you.” Zach let out a frustrated and drunken sigh from beside them both.

“Jess goes first. No beer, just pong, understood?” Jessica and Justin both nodded.

“Yes sir.”

“Understood.”

They played five games. Jessica won three and forfeited the final to watch a fight that broke out between some drunks. Zach was a terrible judge, talking and trying to distract them from their winning streaks, loudly chewing on some bread he found to eat and making laughable attempts at narrating the game like it were a dog show. After two losses in a row, Zach dared Justin to scull a whole cup of vodka soda if he lost once more. Jessica had never worked harder at a sport than she did on that third round, and when she won, half the room of drunks called out in victory with her. Choruses of slurred cheers echoed over the pounding of Bohemian Rhapsody through the speakers as Justin picked up his cup. Jessica watched him down the whole cup while Zach stood beside cheering and holding him to his bet in case he chickened out. Coughing as the cup was emptied, Justin held it out to Jessica, tipping it upside down to show her he had finished the whole thing. She applauded him, much to his own pride, and he bowed like an actor at curtain call, throwing away the cup and starting another game.

Eventually Zach got tired of watching them and wanted to play a game against Justin, betting that he was just going easy on Jessica and he was actually really good at beer pong. He was sorely disappointed when he realised how unfair the game between them was, with Zach no less than four drinks in, and Justin only one. Jessica stood beside her boyfriend, cheering him on as he won game after game against the fumbling, injured footballer. A sober Charlie finally showed up to watch as Zach missed three balls in a row. He asked to play a round of doubles and Jessica eagerly nodded, taking up a bat and standing beside her boyfriend. She looked him right in the eye and told him not to lose the game, he smiled, and he promised her in a very sincere voice that he would win for her, and she believed him. The game began and with each game they won, ball after ball, she would kiss his cheek, and Zach would pretend to gag at them. By the eighth game, and their eighth win, the whole party averted their eyes as a kiss on the cheek turned into a celebratory make out. Zach and Charlie walked away, leaving behind two remarkably sober teenagers who looked as though they had consumed more alcohol than anybody else in the vicinity. People were staring, watching, judging, but they just laughed because people always stared. People always judged them, but they just didn’t fucking care.

When Zach and Charlie abandoned them, and peoples drunken stupor got funnier than it did annoying, Jessica pulled her boyfriend away from the beer pong table. Seeing the way people’s opinion of her changed, she began to feel more comfortable at the party. Around the football team that usually called her a bitch under their breath when she walked past, or the cheerleaders who called her a slut, or a hypocrite to the other cheerleaders. But who could blame them? Here Jessica was at a big party for the first time in almost a year, invited by the host himself, but simultaneously as a plus one for her boyfriend on the football team. Her boyfriend the recovering heroin addict, and convicted criminal. Of course people judged her. Who wouldn’t? But now the whispers stopped, when people were drunk they had no enemy. No judgement. Jessica was just another pretty girl at a party, drinking and laughing with her boyfriend. She was happy.

They lay sprawled out on the couch together, playing a drunk game of truth or dare with some boys on the football team. Justin sat on the couch with his feet up on the table and Jess sat on the other side, wedged tightly between him and the arm of the couch, her head resting on his shoulder as his fingers nonchalantly combed her hair.

“Jess,” a girl asked, “truth or dare?”

“Uh,” she glanced around, before looking back at the cheerleader across from her. “Fuck it. Truth.”

The cheerleader smiled, “best sex you’ve ever had?” She winked and Jessica scoffed.

“Well,” she glanced around and didn’t especially care to tell a circle of drunk people who were going to forget in an hour. “Make up sex. In my bedroom when nobody else was home. It’s especially good when I’m the one who was right.”

Someone in the circle laughed, “What’d he do that time?”

Another faceless voice spoke before Jessica could find it, “c’mon, we all know what he did. Y’know, if the sex was _that_ good.” There was a chorus of laughter, but Jessica and Justin ignored them. Jessica thought it was over. But it would never be over. She leaned up and met her boyfriend’s annoyed gaze.

“Fuck them,” she whispered to him, “they’re drunk and they’re assholes.” He nodded that he wasn’t too bothered by it, she reached up to kiss him lightly and he smiled. Then she leaned in really close and whispered so no one but him could hear. “They don’t have to know the sex was because you thought you were the one who could withhold sex and win. But it was me.” She could see that he wanted to disagree, but he wasn’t going to risk the argument again.

He smirked, whispering back to her. “I can’t believe that is the best sex you’ve had. I swear we’ve had better.” 

She laughed, “that’s the best that people can _know_ of.” He nodded along that she was probably right. As the game continued on, Jessica tore her eyes from him and looked back at the circle. She folded her legs over his and he took his hand from her hair and rested it on her waist. When Taylor finally got his turn he appraised the circle of teenagers, the smirk on his face wanting nothing more than to stir up drama. He caught onto Jessica and Justin sitting comfortably together on the couch and focused his eyes on them. It was almost too easy for him.

“Foley, truth or dare?” Justin glanced at Jessica lying comfortably beside him and decided he didn’t want to disrupt her position.

He shrugged. “I’ll take truth.” And Jessica smiled to herself, staring up at her boyfriend as he answered. Taylor’s smirk only deepened, and Jessica was the only one that noticed.

“Is it true that you and your girlfriend reenact her rape fantasies when you fuck her?” The group all laughed, except for Justin and Jessica who were sober enough to see the idiocy of the question. Jessica shot up straight, almost coming to her feet.

“What the fuck?” She shouted at Taylor. “What the fuck are you talking about?” Taylor sat back smirking.

“Just wanted to know if the rumours were true, so are they?” Jessica glared at him as Justin stood up beside her.

“Rumours? What fucking rumours?” He took a step toward Taylor but Jessica grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Stop, he’s not worth it. He’s just trying to start shit.” She started to pull her boyfriend away but he was still glaring at Taylor.

“You’re such a fucking asshole.” He picked up his new almost full red cup and threw it at Taylor, and with perfect aim it hit him and soaked his hair in sticky vodka. “Fuck you, Taylor.” Jessica pulled him away.

“Come on, just ignore him. He’s drunk and he's being a dick.” Slowly and hesitantly, Justin followed her, watching as the group of drunk teenagers continued their game of truth or dare as if nothing had happened. Taylor sat glaring, watching them leave in a simmering rage. Tearing his eyes away, Justin followed Jessica as she led him up a staircase, side stepping girls and their discarded heels, their tear stained cheeks and messily applied lipstick. He smiled politely at one girl he knew from English class as she waved to him, and Jessica told the girl she liked her dress. They turned the corner at the top of the stairs and stared down the long white hall, littered with teenagers wanting to escape the loud music, or wanting to make out with some form of privacy.

“Let’s find an empty room,” she insisted, “I’m just so fucking sick of other people tonight.” He took her in the opposite direction, down a constricted hallway that had been abandoned by the majority of the party. At the end of the white hall there was a wooden door, with nobody inside. Neither of them knew if the bedrooms were off limits, but they weren’t stupid drunk so there was no way they were gonna make a mess. Pushing the door open, Justin let Jessica walk through first, then he shut the door behind them. The bed in the middle of the room was at least a queen size, and the decor on the shelves hadn’t been updated in years. Flowers were absent of the ceramic floral vase that sat atop the ash covered fireplace, and the photo frames with them beheld no memories. It was a room that felt abandoned and empty, but at the same time more homely than anything Justin had lived in for most of his life. Jessica sat on the bed, the covers crumpled underneath her as if she were at the centre of a crack on the earths surface, laying untouched for so long. It was almost uncanny. Justin wandered to the other side of the room, the music below making the walls look like a drum as it pounded back and forth.

“How long has it been?” She asked. “Since you last went to a party?”

He shrugged, staring around, “I went to a few, you remember. The team threw a lot of parties beginning of senior year. But…”

She stared at him, “but what?” Justin looked like he might have laughed if Jessica couldn’t sense the sadness behind his demeanour.

“It’s weird how quickly things change. Before, my mom couldn’t have given less of a shit if I came home drunk, or high, or with whoever. And I didn’t, cause the parties were usually at fucking Bryce’s anyway. I never went home. But when I came back…” Jessica reached out to him to come and sit with her. She was dizzy, and the room was on the verge of spinning but she wanted him to talk to her, and she wanted to listen well. He stepped over to her and kneeled in front of her on the bed, and held her hands. “At first it was fun. To get drunk again. Feel happy, for once. But then it didn’t have the same effect as it used to. And I’d always worry about Clay’s parents finding out because, you know, they’re not like my mom, and I just want to be better than I used to be… So, then I’d barely drink. And, then we got back together so it’s not like I was gonna hook up with anyone.”

She nodded sadly, “parties are kind of boring without alcohol, weed or sex.” He nearly laughed, holding her hands as he kissed the top of her knees while she sat on the bed.

“It was just beer pong until 11, and then I’d walk home sober as fuck.” They both laughed.

“Or, you’d come over to mine.” She smirked. “Those nights were the best.”

“Better than the actual party,” he agreed, smiling. “Better than everything.” When he leaned in closer and kissed the top of her thigh, she rolled her eyes.

“You make everything about sex,” she said.

He laughed, “no, _you_ make everything about sex. You started it.” He stood up and let go of her hands, looking down at her pouting face. “How is the bed?” A smile coming to her face, she leaned back and fell onto the mattress.

“It’s good,” she said through laughter. He watched as she sat up and turned around to crawl to the headboard on her hands and knees. Her skirt was kind of short, and her jacket barely kept her warm but she looked good, and that was where her priorities were tonight. He climbed onto the bed with her, and crawled over her until he was lying at her side. They lay staring at the ceiling, her running her fingers along his arm, until he spoke up.

“I’m sorry about the truth or dare game. I didn’t think he would say that.”

Jessica rolled her eyes to look at him beside her. “God. It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.” She turned to him and propped her head up on her arm to stare down at him. “Do you wanna play with just us?”

He smiled at her, “all right. It’s gonna get heavy, but sure.” He moved his arm around to hold her waist, his hand resting on the small of her back.

“Truth or dare?” She asked, and he shrugged.

“I’ll go truth.” Jessica thought on it a moment, and she was considerably more intoxicated than he was because she was a lightweight, and always had been.

“Would you ever have a threesome?”

He smirked, “who says I haven’t already?” Laughing, she ran her fingers along his cheek.

“Yeah, I thought you’d say that.”He smiled, and she wasn’t sure if he had been joking or not, but at the same time she didn’t really want to know.

“Truth or dare?” He asked.

She smirked, “truth.” She was comfortable lying beside him, with his hands on her waist. She didn’t want to move for a dare.

“Tell me honestly, is there anything about Alex that you miss? Like, that I’m not doing for you?” Jessica ran her hand along his cheek, smiling down at him.

“Why do you ask?” She leaned down to kiss his lips very lightly, before pulling back only an inch from his face.

“Because,” he whispered to her, “I wanna make you happy.” She held his face in her hands and kissed him harder.

As their lips were barely an inch apart, she smiled. “You do make me happy.” Then she giggled. “It’s not like he ever ate me out.” When he laughed, she winked playfully. “Truth or dare, babe?”

He thought on it a moment before pecking her on the lips. “Dare.”

Smirking, she ran her fingers along his jaw. “I dare you to have sex with me.”

Laughing, he clicked his tongue. "Well, that game didn't last very long." With a casual shrug, she pulled her jacket off and threw it on the floor beside the bed.

Jessica smiled as she sat up and climbed to sit over him. "I'm not gonna fuck around. I get what I want." She flicked her hair behind her, and sat up over him.

He pulled her skirt up slightly, and smirked. "That's my girl." She made a face that, while appreciative of the comment, told him to stop talking, and so he did.

* * *

“I want another drink,” she said, gently running her thumb over his bottom lip. “I’m sobering up.”

“Sure,” he was smiling, “we can go back downstairs. Watch drunk girls hit on me some more, as the drunk guys hit on you too. Even while we’re standing next to each other.”

She smirked, “those girls may talk shit about me, but they’d sell a lung to fuck you. So I think it’s just jealousy.” Giggling, she pressed one more kiss to his lips before climbing off the bed. He followed her, and stood up beside her. She grabbed her jacket off the floor, and he pulled his shirt on, and then his jacket. As Jessica stepped up to the closed door, he paused her.

“Wait,” he said, laughing. He grabbed her waist and pulled her skirt down from where it was crumpled at her hips and barely covering underwear. “My fault,” he apologised, but it wasn’t a real apology. He didn’t feel sorry.

Jessica smiled, “thanks,” she whispered back, pulling it down a little more just for personal reassurance. “Do I look okay?” He smirked, his hands holding her bare waist.

“I can’t take my eyes off you.” Backing out the door, she kissed him and pulled him along with her.

“You have my lipstick all over your face. And your neck.” He only laughed. “It’s hot though. Don’t rub it off.” She led him down the hallway, and he watched from behind as the curls in her hair swayed back and forth. It was almost mesmerising, it always was. Her hair was perfect. They would have sex and all she would have to do was run a hand through it, and it was perfectly neat once more. That was it. The best word to describe her. _Perfect_. To him, at least. Others would probably disagree. But there was nothing she was capable of that could make him love her any less, and he loved her more than anything.

“Babe,” he stopped her from walking down the stairs and back to where the party was at its high. “Did I tell you that you look really good tonight?”

She turned back to him with a smile, “maybe. Why? Did you wanna tell me again?”

He smirked, “yeah. You look so fucking good.” She pulled him closer and pouted, shutting her eyes.

“Don’t flirt with me. You know what it does to me and I can’t handle it right now.” She took his hands and put them on her waist again. “But if you stay at mine tonight, I can handle it all night.” She smiled, and it made him laugh.

“I thought your dad was home?”

She grinned, shrugging. “We’ll be quiet.” He leaned in and kissed her with a smile.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but, it’s hard to be quiet.” She pressed her lips together and glanced around the empty hallway.

“God,” she sighed, “I’m gonna get a drink and then we’re gonna come back upstairs and have some fucking good sex. Okay?” He seemed pretty okay with it when he moved his hands from her waist, to her back and then over the back of her skirt.

He leaned in and kissed her, “that’s okay.” She had to mentally prepare herself to pull away from him, even though she didn’t especially want to. But someone could have walked into the hallway and seen Jessica being touched, and made it into a big story about her being objectified by her boyfriend. And that wasn’t even close to what was happening. So she pulled away and walked downstairs into the living room where the speakers were pounding, and people were dancing. They both went opposite ways as Jessica went to get a drink and Justin went to talk to someone, she guessed Zach, but she wasn’t totally sure. She stopped a few times to push dancing drunks away from her, and rejected a few drunk boys who asked her for sex. They were polite enough to respect her no and walk away. She started up the steps into the kitchen, looking around at the two girls who were standing there.

“Hey,” one said to her, and Jessica waved at her. She didn’t know who either of them were.

“Did you hook up with that guy over there? He’s hot.” The other asked, pointing at Justin across the room.

Jessica glanced between them, “my boyfriend? Uh, well, yeah.”

They both giggled, “your boyfriend?” They looked between each other and laughed like it was some kind of inside joke. “You have a boyfriend and you’re dressed like that? No wonder they’re calling you a tease.” Jessica rolled her eyes.

“I dress for myself,” she told them, “and I’m not a fucking tease.”

The girls stared at her, “well, I doubt your boyfriend likes you going to parties dressed like a slut.”

Jessica smirked, and it was a mocking smirk, “he doesn’t care what I’m wearing just as long as we’re having great sex.”

The girls scowled, “isn’t he a heroin addict?” One asked.

Jessica scowled, “he’s clean,” she snapped.

They rolled their eyes, “he’s still a fucking junkie,” the other said in disgust. They grabbed their cups and walked away, back down the steps and left Jessica all alone. She was glad they were gone. Jessica didn’t know how they knew Justin, or her for that matter. But she also didn’t care. They had only been there for two hours and already she was the slut of the party. Oh well, Jessica didn’t care. She never cared what people thought of her anymore. All she knew was that she was happy. She was so fucking happy.

Jessica turned to the counter and poured a shot of vodka in a red cup, then she poured a second for good measure. She stared around at the crowded room of people dancing and shouting over the music. Then she spotted her boyfriend on the other side, talking to someone Jessica couldn’t recognise. There were too many people dancing around them, that the blonde ponytail on the girl didn’t look familiar to Jessica. But she didn’t especially care. Another boy at the party started up the steps into the kitchen where Jessica was filling her drink, she expected him to just grab something quickly. And he did, but it wasn’t what she thought. He came up behind her, and she could feel him standing so close to her. There was a part of him pressed so closely to the curve of her back she could feel anxiety rising in the pit of her stomach. Just as she was about turn around and question him, his hands went up her skirt and groped her ass. She spun around and planted her elbow in the middle of his chest, and he jumped back in fright.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” she shouted, but barely anyone heard her over the music.

He was wide eyed. “I’m sorry,” he said.

Jessica only glared at him. “You’re sorry? How about just don’t fucking do it.” He smiled at her, and she only stared.

“Sorry,” he apologised again, “I just thought you were hot.” He stepped closer to her again. “Did you maybe wanna go upstairs? I’d do anything to fuck you.” Jessica made a face and pushed him away from her again.

“No! What the fuck? Leave me alone.” She folded her arms and glared at him.

“But I apologised,” he protested, “come on, you don’t have to be a bitch about it.” He smiled at her, and it was a sickening smile. Her lips turned into a scowl. She didn’t want to have to do this. She hated doing this.

“I have a boyfriend,” she said. Boys respected someone else’s property more than they respected any girl’s simple no. HO had told her that. There was a poster hanging up in the meeting room that said exactly that. And now Jessica realised that it was true. She pointed across the room at Justin. “He’s over there.” Then she smirked, as the guy started to back away. “And he’s on the Liberty football team.”

The creepy guy scoffed, “whatever,” he muttered. He turned away and started to leave. “Fucking teasing slut.” Jessica went wide eyed, and he thought she hadn’t heard. She watched him walk over to his group of friends, he said something bitter, and every guy in the circle looked up at her, smirking and rolling their eyes. A few of them looked her up and down. A few winked at her. She was almost able to read their lips. I’d fuck her too. She’s hot. Isn’t she the chick that got raped. Probably because she’s such a tease. Jessica felt sick to her stomach. Violated.

She poured the soda into her red cup and walked back to Justin. Jessica had to walk past the group of boys as she made her way past, it was the only way. As she did, and as she expected, they chorused nasty objectifying comments. Nice ass. Nice tits. Bitch. Slut. All because she had said no. Jessica crossed the floor of people dancing, and she had never felt more self conscious since those first few months after she was raped. Watching the way she moved, making sure no one was looking at her. She pulled her skirt down and tried to look as confident and powerful as she could. No one would ever want to fuck with her then. She didn’t want any strangers touching her like that again. More than she was scared though, she was angry.

“There she is!” She was barely two steps away as Justin held his hand out to her. The excitement on his face when he saw her was enough to shake her fear of the other people around them for just a moment. She grabbed his hand as he held it out and came to stand with him.

“What’s going on?” She asked, smiling in confusion. Whoever he had been talking to had left quite quickly upon Jessica’s arrival.

“Some random girl was telling me how good her head game is, or something. I don’t know. I couldn’t hear her. Then she flashed me…”

Jessica raised her eyebrows, “lucky you.”

He laughed, “being sober at parties is wild. People are fucking insane when they drink.” He shook his head. “I had three guys offer me sex in the five minutes you were gone. Three of them. And they were guys.”

She made a face, “everybody is really horny tonight. Must be an end of year thing.” She stared at all the people dancing around them. All the drunk teenagers, off their faces, listening to Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance pounding through the loudspeakers as they jumped around. Justin was right. Drunk teenagers were insane, and when you doubled that with the hormones of horny teenaged boys and the testosterone, then divided it by the bitching and the beauty standards of teenaged girls. The end result was catastrophic. “Can I have your jacket?” Jessica asked, she ran her hand along her boyfriend’s arm.

He nodded, almost laughing, “how are you cold? It’s like one hundred degrees in here.” He pulled his arms out of the sleeves and handed it to her. Jessica only shrugged in response.

“Thanks,” she took the sleeves and folded them over, holding them around her hips. Between where her crop top ended and her skirt began, she tied the sleeves around her waist and made sure the jacket was at least covering more than the skirt had been.

He noticed the reluctance in her expression and frowned. “What’s up?” Justin moved closer to her and ran his fingers over hers on the red cup. She let go of it and he took it from her to drink out of.

Jessica shrugged, “some guy grabbed my ass and called me a tease, and a slut.” He went wide eyed in the middle of taking a sip of her vodka. He pulled the drink away and let his arm fall to his side.

“What the fuck? Who? Where is he?” He stared around the room, and she took the cup from his hand.

Jessica shook her head. “It’s fine. It’s nothing. I handled it.” He looked at her quizzically. “No, I didn’t punch him in the dick like you told me I should.” He seemed sad to hear that. “I said no, he didn’t listen. I yelled at him. He still didn’t listen. So then I told him I had a boyfriend.” She rolled her eyes. “Like I said, they never take no for an answer unless they see you as someone else’s property.” 

“That is so fucked,” he said. He looked down at his jacket tied around her waist and frowned. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, “yeah. Let’s just go. I’m starving.” He nodded in agreement, cautious as he watched her expression. When neither of them made a move to walk toward the door, he took ahold of her hand and pulled her closer to him.

“I’m sorry,” he told her sincerely, and she shrugged it off. She reached up on her toes to kiss him, and he smiled.

"Why did we even come to this fucking party?" She complained, and he just shrugged.

"Zach wanted to go to his first party in the boot, and he didn't wanna go alone." Jessica rolled her eyes. "And you got invited because you're my girlfriend, and you're the life of the party." 

She made a face at him. "Yeah, did you know there would be fucking Hillcrest guys here? I _hate_ them."

He shook his head, "I didn't. I didn't know. It was just the football team, and the cheerleaders. I didn't know there would be so many people." He was about to apologise again, but it wasn't going to do anything, and Jessica always told him he apologised to her too much. Still, he wanted to fix this. “Point the guy out. Then we can fuck with him.”

Coming down to the flats of her feet, Jessica rolled her eyes. “Come on, it doesn’t matter.” When he didn’t give up, she sighed and pointed across the room at the group of boys. “He’s the one who looks and smells like he smokes two packets of cigarettes a day.” Justin laughed slightly, and they both agreed it was a good description of the guy.

“I kind of have an idea,” he smiled at Jessica, and it was a devious smile.

She sighed, “no, babe, let’s just go. Don’t start any fights, please.” Starting toward the group, Jessica tried to hold him back.

“I’m not gonna do anything,” he promised, then he smiled. “Come on, watch this.” Jessica gave up and followed him through the crowd, and it was stupid, but she felt safer when she wandered around the party with him. She shouldn’t have to feel like that, and she hadn’t until that boy groped her. Jessica had spent so much time convincing herself that what happened to her was never going to happen again because she was strong and better than she had ever been before. But now Jessica realised that she wasn’t the one who needed to change. It was society itself. And nothing she told herself could change that feeling of a stranger thinking your body was theirs to do what they want with.

Jessica bit her lip, not wanting to walk by the group of boys again. “Justin, come on,” she said, “are you sure about this?”

He nodded sincerely, turning to her. “It’s gonna be fine. I won’t let them hurt you.” Taking a breath, she passed him and walked ahead past the five boys. They stared at her again, one complained that she had covered up. But she just kept going, then she turned around to watch whatever it was Justin had planned in order to fuck with the guy who groped her. She tried not to laugh as he walked up and put his hand lovingly on the guy’s chest. Justin turned to him, speaking loudly enough that the whole group could hear but they all knew who he was talking to.

“Hey, shit, I don’t remember your name,” Jessica laughed quietly at the tone in his voice. It was very sensual, and no one could mistake that. “But I had a really good time tonight getting my dick sucked. You’re really _fucking_ good.” He smirked, pretty proud of himself and Jessica started laughing. She watched the faces of the other four guys, their jaws dropped to the floor as they glanced awkwardly between each other. The one who groped her was wide eyed. Justin leaned in and whispered so only he could hear. “How about… You keep your fucking hands to yourself, and you don’t ever touch a girl like you touched my girlfriend. Or talk to them the way you spoke to her. And I’ll tell your friends it’s a big fucking joke.”

The guy was shocked, “I didn’t know she had a boyfriend. She looked like she wanted it.” He smirked, not even caring. “Kind of your fault for letting her walk around with a skirt that short.” He was deadset on thinking he hadn’t done anything wrong. Which only pissed off Justin more, and Jessica too.

Justin pulled away and smirked, the other guys almost backing away from their friend. “Oh, shit.” He looked around at them all, then back to the guy who groped Jessica. “I know you said you got chlamydia from that guy you fucked last week. So I’m gonna get tested.” He smiled. “We’ll be in touch. You have my number.” He patted the guys chest as he just stood in shock, and Justin walked away as his friends all abandoned him. Jessica’s jaw dropped as he walked back to her. Then she grinned.

“I fucking love you.” She pulled him towards the front door, and he followed her without complaint. “Very few guys would pretend to be gay for their girlfriend.”

He laughed, “I’d do fucking anything for you.” She only smiled as they finally made their way onto the empty street. “Like… Go to that 24 hour pancake place down the street for something to eat?”

She went wide eyed with excitement. “Oh my god, yes.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along the street until they were walking side by side with their fingers intertwined. “How did you know that would work?” She asked. “And how the hell did you come up with that?”

He smiled, still pretty happy with what he had done. “Zach, Charlie and I came up with it during training. It only works sometimes. With the super rich, homophobic and, what is the word, misogynistic? Assholes. But I know those guys. Or well, I heard them calling some guy a slur earlier, and I figured now was the best time to use the method.”

She smirked, “it’s kind of hot when you talk social justice.”

He laughed. “Well, when homophobia ends my method won’t work anymore.” They walked in silence for a bit, Jessica sipping the last of her drink as he studied the multiple rings on her fingers as they were intertwined with his. Jessica was lost in her own thoughts, still thinking about the guy who had grabbed her. She felt violated. Even though she had thought she was over it. Seeing Justin embarrass the guy had made her feel good in the moment, and it made her laugh. But, she could still feel what it was like to have a stranger touch her like that. The feeling of panic that rose through her, as she was surrounded by dozens of other boys who would have done the exact same if given the chance. She had never been that scared that a boy wouldn’t leave her alone. Angry, that he called her a slut. Objectified, as he told her he wanted to fuck her like she was some kind of object.

Jessica looked beside her, “do you think my skirt is too short?”

“No,” his answer was short and simple which made her smile.

“Do you just think that guy was just a dick?”

He nodded, “Yeah.” She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and he smiled back. “Jess, I’m really sorry,” he said carefully. “I mean, if I’d been fucking watching you he never would have done it. Or, at least, you wouldn’t have had to deal with him alone.”

She rolled her eyes. “I don’t need you to fight my fights. I can take care of myself.”

He smiled at her, and he looked like he really did love her. “I know. I just… I just don’t think I could forgive myself if someone did something awful to you and you got hurt.”

She shook her head, “that already happened, and you still haven’t forgiven yourself. Even though you know I love you.” He lifted her hand up, and kissed her knuckles until she smiled.

“You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?” Half-heartedly, she nodded. “I’ll kill him if you want me to. Just say it and it’s done.”

Jessica laughed, “I am not visiting you in jail. Rehab was enough.” Then she sighed, Jessica liked to open up to him in her own time, rather than expect him to draw it out of her. Because he would, if he had to, but that wasn’t a sign of a healthy relationship. “You remember the nightmares I used to have?” She asked.

He was perplexed as he tried to remember. “Which ones?”

“Well, the ones where I was screaming and no one could hear me. I was, like, being raped and I was screaming for help. Someone would be groping me, or touching me, or shoving me on a bed and raping me. And I was wide awake, and I was screaming for my life. And everybody was there. But no one could hear. No one came to help me.” She frowned. “You weren’t in them at first. In the beginning it was so lonely. I felt like nobody understood, and nobody could help me. Then after a while you were in them.”

He stared at his feet, “yeah, I remember you told me.” Their fingers were intertwined between them as they walked slowly down the middle of the street. The streetlights were the only light on either side of them, and the side of Jessica’s face was illuminated by them each time they passed one. 

“You were there, and you were the only one who could hear me screaming. But you couldn’t help no matter how much you tried. It was like you were stuck behind an invisible wall. And it was just like the real thing. Just like how it happened.” She nodded to herself. “That’s what it reminded me of in there. Being groped, and I yelled, but nobody saw. And nobody heard me. And I just thought, you know, if he had put his hand further up my skirt. If he had put something in my drink. Or if he had raped me then and there. Nobody would have stopped him.”

He looked at her seriously. “Jess, I’d never let that happen.”

She nodded, “yeah, I know. It’s just my head. Just my fears. It’s stupid.”

“It’s not stupid,” he assured her. “Your experiences shape the way you think for the rest of your life. And it fucking sucks because it’s so unfair that people did shit to us, and they don’t ever think about it. But it’s what we think about every second of every day. And it changes you.” He shrugged. “It’s not stupid. It’s never stupid.”

“You know what is stupid, though?” She asked, and he waited for the answer. “That some ugly, gross boy was the last person to touch my ass, and _not_ my boyfriend.” He laughed, and reached around to touch her from behind. Jessica looked over and raised her eyebrow at him, and he sighed. He put his hand under her skirt this time, and she smiled in content.

“You all good now?” He asked, laughing as he drew his hand back.

“I will be,” she said. “Once you buy me those pancakes I was promised.”

**Author's Note:**

> i personally would sell a lung to see a certain part of this fic played out on the show. and i think we all know which it is. iconic. 
> 
> please leave me kudos and comments if you liked it! it's all i'm living off in these dark times (as well as the future nostalgia album in which yes, this fic is named after a song. go stream some dua lipa!!!)


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